


To Earn One's Forgiveness

by toomanyunfinishedfics



Category: Persona 4
Genre: M/M, Nanako being the precious angel that she is, Pre-Relationship, Souji being a doting brother, This whole thing started off as me wanting to write SouYo, Unnecessary drama courtesy of Yosuke "gay thoughts can't catch me" Hanamura, Yosuke also doting on Nanako because Nanako deserves lots of love, but then Nanako came in and my brain latched onto writing her with her big bros, so it turned into a mix of Yosuke having a gay crisis and SouYo + Nanako bonding lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 03:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18563404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanyunfinishedfics/pseuds/toomanyunfinishedfics
Summary: Yosuke screws things up with his partner, and Nanako helps him figure out how to apologize. It goes better than Yosuke could have ever hoped.(Alternatively Titled: In Which A Six Year Old Inadvertently Plays Wingman To Two Sixteen Year Old Disasters)





	To Earn One's Forgiveness

**Author's Note:**

> My brain, on a constant loop ever since finishing P4: _God I love SouYo so much I need to write something or I’m going to implode from all these feelings_
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I swear I'm still working on my P5 NG+ fic I just needed to get this out of my system~~

* * *

 “ _Dude, don’t you think we’ve been hanging out a bit_ **_too_ ** _much lately? People might start getting the wrong idea._ ”

“ _Is that really such a bad thing?_ ”

* * *

Yosuke put a hand over his face as he laid in bed, letting out a frustrated sigh. He played the day back over and over in his head, trying to figure out where things had gone wrong, and each time his mind fixated on that one small bit of their conversation. He’d said it (mostly) as a joke, and even laughed it off expecting Souji to laugh with him, but his partner’s response had thrown him for a bit of a loop.

He couldn’t remember how exactly he’d responded, but thinking back he got the general feeling that it had probably been more defensive than necessary, the fear of another negative label being attached to him and of giving everyone in Inaba another reason to hate him making his words take on a harsher tone than he’d ever meant to direct towards his best friend.

His best friend who had smiled, apologized and written off his words as a bad joke, and left with the excuse of needing to go home and cook dinner for Nanako.

So really, Yosuke should have left it at that, and he was going to--except the guilt kept bothering him, building up the more time passed, and it didn’t help that Souji neither answered his calls nor his texts.

Souji _always_ picked up for him. On the first ring, even--not that he cared how quickly Souji answered the phone for him, but it was a valid concern now when Souji wasn’t answering at all.

Still, it was possible that he was just busy with Nanako or with juggling every part-time job Inaba had to offer. Yosuke could always apologize to him at school the next day.

* * *

How Souji managed to avoid Yosuke for three days straight when he sat directly in front of him in class might have impressed Yosuke if he wasn’t so goddamn frustrated with his partner.

And yeah, it wasn’t like they hung out _every_ day like Yosuke might have been insinuating with his comment, but not hanging out because they were busy and not hanging out because Souji was actively avoiding him were two _very_ different things. One was significantly less irritating than the other.

This time, though-- _this time_ he was prepared, waiting to ambush Souji after he came down the stairs towards his shoe locker.

A hand slamming next to his head against the lockers caught Souji completely off-guard, and Yosuke was inwardly pleased to see the hints of stunned surprise on Souji’s face as he blocked off his exit.

(And was it just him, or was Souji’s face a bit red? Nah, it was probably just the lighting.)

“Partner, we need to talk, and I’m _not_ letting you run off on me this time.”

“... Do you really need to be that close to talk to me?”

Yosuke blinked, belatedly becoming aware of the position of their bodies and the lack of space between them. When his mind finally caught up with the situation, he stumbled backwards with a yelp, his face flushed as he heard a few nearby students whispering amongst themselves. “That's-- I was just trying to stop you from running off before I could talk to you!”

“I see.”

And with that, Souji grabbed his shoes from the locker and ran off.

Again.

“Damn it Souji, get back here!!”

Yosuke grabbed his shoes from his locker, hopping towards the exit as he put them on before rushing after him.

Thankfully, Souji hadn’t managed to get far, and Yosuke was naturally just the slightest bit faster than his partner--which gave him just the edge he needed to clear the gap between them enough to reach out and grab Souji’s arm, forcing him to a halt.

He kept a tight hold on Souji as he paused to catch his breath, unwilling to let him run off yet again, before finally asking, “Alright, seriously--what the _hell_  is your deal lately?”

“Yosuke, I don’t know what you’re--”

“Like hell you don’t!” Yosuke took a step towards Souji in irritation, before deflating slightly as Souji took a step back in turn. “Partner… look, I’m sorry, alright?”

“What are you apologizing for?”

The question came off as Souji playing dumb at first, and Yosuke was about to say as much when he took a proper look at his partner’s eyes, hardened and clearly waiting to see what kind of response he would give.

Why did it feel like that simple question held so much weight?

“W-well… for saying that we hang out too much… I guess?” He answered hesitantly. “I mean, you get where I’m coming from, right? Two guys walking around town is one thing, but like… going out to the city, going to the movies and out for lunch… people talk, y’know? It’d damage both of our reputations if people started spreading rumors about us and stuff--but that doesn’t mean I want to _avoid_ you, I’m just saying--”

“Of course. We can’t have people getting the wrong idea about us.”

Though Souji’s response was the point Yosuke had initially wanted to get across, hearing his own words from a few days ago being tossed back at him in such a detached tone felt like a slap to his face, one that he felt himself physically recoiling from even as he let out a nervous laugh.

“R… right, as long as you get it. So we’re cool, then?”

Souji gave him a small smile, but it was different--it felt hollow, lacking the warmth that Yosuke had grown accustomed to seeing in his partner’s rare but genuine smiles.

“We’ve been fine this whole time. I’m just giving you the space that you wanted, so people don’t get the wrong idea.”

“That’s not--”

Souji turned away from him. “I’m going to be late to work if I don’t catch the bus. Goodbye, Yosuke.”

Yosuke knew he should have reached out, should have stopped him from leaving, but he couldn’t even bring himself to lift his hand as he watched him walk away.

Everything… was fine, Souji had said so--but why did it feel like he’d just fucked things up even more than before? Was Souji expecting a different answer from him?

(Or was Souji just tired of dealing with Yosuke’s insecurities, fed up with Yosuke being so conscious of what people said about him and thought about him--)

Yosuke shook his head forcefully and walked off, deciding to pick up another shift at Junes to keep his mind occupied with thoughts that weren’t centered around Souji and the friendship that he might have somehow screwed up without even realizing.

* * *

One full week of Souji avoiding him later, and Yosuke was just about ready to throw himself at Souji’s feet and beg for forgiveness if it meant his partner would stop giving him the cold shoulder. It didn’t help at all that he still had no idea what exactly he’d done wrong, just a vague feeling that he’d said something he shouldn’t have said and didn’t take it back when Souji had given him the opportunity.

But if it wasn’t about whether or not they hung out too much, then what was Souji so angry at him over?

He’d tried consulting with Chie and Yukiko out of sheer desperation, recounting both conversations to them in hopes that they might be able to help him figure things out--only for Chie to kick him as Yukiko glared at him, the two of them calling him an insensitive idiot before storming off and leaving him even more confused than before.

The next day he was irritated to find the two of them walking around town with Souji, smiling and laughing with him as if nothing was wrong.

Traitors, the both of them.

Finally, Yosuke decided on one last, desperate move in order to try and get Souji alone and talk with him one more time. Even if his partner was angry with him, if he just honestly explained that he wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong and asked Souji to explain it to him so he could properly apologize, he was sure Souji would do it, right?

(God he hoped so, he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take. The guilt was starting to make him lose sleep, and he wasn’t even sure what he was feeling guilty _about_ beyond upsetting his best friend.)

Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, he let it out slowly, bracing himself before ringing the doorbell to the Dojima household.

There was the light pitter-patter of small footsteps, and a muffled “I’m coming!” that immediately eased some of the tension from Yosuke’s frame moments before the door opened to reveal Nanako looking up at him, her confusion quickly melting to pleased surprise.

“Yosuke-nii!”

“Hey there, Nanako-chan!” For the first time in what felt like forever, a natural grin worked its way onto Yosuke’s face, Nanako’s innocent joy quickly spreading to him. “Hope you don’t mind me stopping by for a surprise visit.”

“Not at all--oh, but…,” she trailed off, her smile dying down slightly. “If you’re here for Big Bro, he’s not home yet….”

Yosuke just barely managed to hold back a relieved sigh--it had been a gamble whether or not Souji would be home, and he’d been hoping that he wasn’t, lest he had to risk a door being shut in his face before he could so much as step foot inside.

Not that Souji would slam the door on Yosuke, or at least he _hoped_ Souji wouldn’t, but at the very least it would save him the awkwardness of trying to come up with a reason why Souji should let him into the house to talk.

“It’s okay. Do you mind if I wait here with you until he gets home?”

Nanako instantly perked back up at that, her eyes practically shining with excitement as she looked up at Yosuke. “Really? You’ll wait with me?”

“Of course!” Yosuke grinned and lightly ruffled Nanako’s hair before stepping inside. “It’s been a while since we hung out, right? Oh, and here!” He held out a Junes bag to the excited girl, who somehow managed to brighten even more at the sight of the brand name. “Figured it’d be rude to show up empty-handed, so I stopped off at Junes and brought over some snacks. If you wanna have some before dinner, I won’t tattle, I promise.”

Nanako giggled as she took the bag. “I’ll be good and wait ‘til later, so we can share the snacks with Big Bro!”

Yosuke watched as she practically skipped back inside, humming the Junes theme song to herself as she went, and he figured that was a clear invitation for him to make himself at home. He took off his shoes and locked the door behind him before entering the house and settling down in the living room with Nanako, sitting on the couch while she sat at her usual seat in front of the TV.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Yosuke-nii! Big Bro’s gonna be so surprised to see you.”

Yosuke laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I bet he’ll be surprised, alright….”

_Hopefully he won’t just turn around and run out the door when he sees me._

Nanako’s smile died down slightly as her gaze fell to the ground. “Big Bro’s been really sad lately… he pretends he’s okay, but I can tell there’s something wrong.” As quickly as her expression dimmed, it brightened back up as she looked up at Yosuke and added, “But I’m sure Big Bro will cheer up when he sees you here! He’s always so much happier when you’re around!”

The words, innocent as they were, felt like knives stabbing Yosuke’s heart--and now it was his turn to drop his gaze, guilt threatening to completely pull him under as he tried and failed to find his voice.

Souji was always happier when he was around. Souji was miserable now because of him.

No wonder Chie and Yukiko had called him an insensitive idiot.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a pair of small arms wrapping around his neck in a hug, and he looked up in surprise, so lost in his guilt that he hadn’t even noticed her getting up and moving over to him.

“Nanako-chan?”

“You’re sad too, aren’t you Yosuke-nii?” Nanako asked.

(Yosuke couldn't help but inwardly marvel over how sometimes, it felt like she was the most mature and perceptive person in Inaba, noticing things that even most adults would never pick up on.)

“Dad says it’s good to talk about things when you’re sad. Communication is an important part of any relationship!” she declared proudly, no doubt repeating words she’d heard her father say at one point--perhaps said while he was trying to work through his own problems with his daughter, which Yosuke only knew the bare minimum of through the rare times Souji had talked with him about it. “Big Bro doesn’t like talking about stuff much, but… if you wanna talk, I can listen?”

Yosuke laughed weakly, moving his arms to hug Nanako back. He hesitated for a moment before finally working his way past the lump in his throat to speak. “Yosuke-nii… might have done something really bad, and hurt your Big Bro.”

There was no response from Nanako, and as the words suddenly began tumbling out of him, he idly noted that the familial relation between Nanako and Souji had never been clearer than in this moment. There was just something about their silent, non-judgmental presence that made it easy to open up about things that people would normally be hesitant to confess to anyone.

“We were hanging out, and I made a comment that was supposed to be a joke, but he ended up taking it more seriously than I thought he would--and I didn’t mean to get defensive, but I did, and now he can’t even stand to be around me.”

Nanako hummed in thought. “Did you say you’re sorry?”

“I tried, but your Big Bro is very stubborn,” Yosuke replied with the slightest hint of petulance in his tone. “I don’t think he thought I was sorry at all.”

“But were you really sorry?”

Yosuke blinked, surprised by the question. “What-- o-of course I was really sorry….” He trailed off, his brows furrowing as he thought back to his apology, before wincing slightly as he let out a groan. “Or not, now that I think about it. I don’t think my apology sounded very sorry; I was just getting defensive again.”

Nanako gave Yosuke a pat on the head with a smile, rewarding him for realizing the problem just as her Dad and Big Bro would reward her whenever she answered a question right. “Then you just have to say you’re sorry again, and really mean it this time! I’m sure Big Bro will forgive you. After all, he loves you lots!”

Yosuke choked on air as the tail end of her statement caught up with his brain, and he pulled back slightly to look at Nanako in stunned surprise. “Wait, he _what?_ ”

Nanako tilted her head, the perfect picture of innocent confusion. Maybe Yosuke hadn't heard her? “I said Big Bro loves you lots.” With a big smile, she added, “Big Bro loves all of his friends, I can tell! Just like he loves me and Dad!”

“O-oh, yeah, right, haha….”

Yosuke should have felt relieved by the clarification--friends loving their friends wasn't weird, even Yosuke could admit that he loved their ragtag group no matter how weird and how annoying they could be sometimes--yet for some reason he couldn't shake off the feeling of disappointment that lingered in the back of his mind.

What did he have to feel disappointed about? It would've been weird if Nanako had meant a different kind of love… right?

Was it because he'd gotten a bit excited at the thought of someone as amazing as Souji loving someone like him? Why the hell would he want that? Souji was a _guy_ , and it would have been weird for a guy to think about him _like that_ , and _he_ was weird for even thinking about any of this but now that the thought was in his head he couldn’t _stop_ thinking about it--

Yosuke groaned, moving to cover his face with both of his hands.

“Yosuke-nii? What's wrong? Does your head hurt?”

“Yosuke-nii is just… very, very confused right now.”

“Confused? Oh!” Nanako perked up as she came to a realization. “About how to apologize to Big Bro, right? Don't worry, I'll help!”

Well, that hadn't exactly been what Yosuke was troubled about, but Nanako had a point--he still had no idea how he was going to go about apologizing to Souji, and at this point he would take any help he could get.

After all, no one knew how to melt Souji's heart better than Nanako--if she was helping, then at the very least it assured that Souji would be in a good enough mood to hear him out as a result.

“You have an idea?” Yosuke asked, moving his hands off of his face to stare at Nanako, as if ready to hang off of her every word.

Nanako clapped her hands together with a smile. “Yeah! We can cook dinner for Big Bro!”

Yosuke normally wouldn’t have considered such a suggestion, but he was desperate enough to give the idea serious thought as he mulled it over, running through the potential scenario in his mind. A home-cooked meal would definitely show that he was serious about putting in the effort to apologize and try to make amends with Souji; sitting and eating together with Nanako would take any edge off of the conversation since Souji would never act in a way that would upset her even if he was angry with Yosuke; and to top it all off, he might feel a bit more relaxed and more inclined to properly hear him out on a full stomach.

It was simple, yet so genius that he couldn't help but laugh as he pulled Nanako into a hug.

“Nanako-chan, you're amazing! That sounds like a perfect idea!”

Nanako giggled as she hugged him back, pleased to see Yosuke in such high spirits. “We'll make him the best dinner ever! C'mon, let's start preparing everything before he gets home!”

Yosuke allowed Nanako to pull him into the kitchen, the two of them going through the refrigerator to see what they had to work with--thankfully Nanako had gone shopping pretty recently, so it wasn't as empty as Yosuke had briefly feared it might be when hardly anyone was ever around the Dojima household, but trying to figure out what to make from the ingredients on hand was a whole other matter.

Thankfully, unlike the girls, Yosuke was a decent cook--and more importantly, he knew how to actually use recipes instead of randomly tossing things into a pot.

Yosuke donned Souji's apron, and with Nanako by his side to help with the preparations, he got to work, determined to make an amazing meal that would blow his partner away.

Or more realistically, an edible meal that would hopefully bring back that warm smile of Souji's that he missed so much.

At this point, he knew he didn’t deserve to ask for anything more than that until he’d properly earned Souji’s forgiveness.

* * *

“I’m home.”

It was rare that Souji was greeted by the smell of food when he walked into the Dojima household--he was the only one that really cooked, and even when they ordered takeout it usually never smelled this good.

Was Nanako trying to cook something for him? It was a sweet gesture, but he really hoped she wasn’t using the stove; he’d already told her that it was too dangerous for her to use while she was by herself.

Maybe Dojima was--no, his uncle was a terrible cook, he’d even admitted it himself. There was no way the food would smell this good if it was him by the stove.

He briefly entertained the idea of one of the girls stopping by, but just as quickly tossed that idea out as well. If any of them were in the kitchen, it would be an even worse disaster than his uncle trying to cook.

So then who…?

“Big Bro, welcome home!”

Souji’s expression softened as Nanako ran up to him and gave him a hug. “If you’re not in the kitchen, I take it we have a guest, then?”

Nanako giggled and nodded. “It’s a surprise!”

Souji looked amused, taking off his shoes and setting them aside before following his eager cousin towards the kitchen. Mentally, he continued going down the list of who else could possibly be in their house cooking. It couldn’t be Kanji, Souji had just been spending time with him earlier in the day and he had to help his mom out at the shop for the night; and he highly doubted it was Adachi, he’d already told Souji once before that he wasn’t really the cooking type.

So _who_ \--

“Hey partner, welcome home.”

Souji’s mind blue screened.

* * *

Yosuke couldn’t help the quick swell of nerves that rushed through him as he heard the front door open followed by Souji’s voice. What if Souji seriously left once he saw him here? Or worse, what if he demanded that Yosuke leave? Or even _worse_ , what if he got angry about him letting Nanako into the kitchen? God he’d just assumed that it was okay but now that he thought about it it was dangerous for a kid to be in the kitchen and she could’ve gotten hurt and Souji would have had another reason to hate him even _more_ and--

“It’s okay, Yosuke-nii! Everything’s gonna go great, don’t worry.”

Nanako, the precious godsend of an angel that she was, gave him a hug as if hearing his mind devolving into senseless panic, and Yosuke let out a quiet breath in response before smiling and patting her head.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

No point in doubting things this late in the game, right? He just had to trust that everything would work out for the best.

Nanako pulled back and nodded, satisfied to see that Yosuke had calmed down, before smiling and rushing over to greet Souji.

Which gave Yosuke less than a minute to compose himself and figure out what to say when Souji finally saw him.

Footsteps approached, and with no time left to think, Yosuke decided to just act like everything was normal between them, hoping that would at least be less awkward than trying to fumble through some sort of polite greeting.

“Hey partner,” he called out as casually as he could once Souji reached the kitchen, turning his attention back to the food on the stove so he could try and keep his composure, “welcome home.”

Yosuke inwardly cringed as his reply was met with complete silence--it wasn’t like Souji ever said much to begin with, but given the past week, he could only take Souji’s silence as a bad sign.

Still, he had to at least see for himself what kind of expression was on Souji’s face.

Was he angry? Annoyed? Or was he just coldly staring at him, silently waiting for him to leave?

Yosuke forced himself to glance back in Souji’s direction, and he couldn’t help his eyebrows shooting up in bewilderment as he took a proper look at his partner.

He’d been completely off the mark--Souji wasn’t angry, or annoyed, or cold and distant.

He was just staring at Yosuke in stunned shock, which Yosuke wouldn’t have paid much mind to if he hadn’t noticed the color that filled his partner’s cheeks.

What…?

* * *

“ _But I’m sure Big Bro will cheer up when he sees you here! He’s always so much happier when you’re around!_ ”

“ _After all, he loves you lots!_ ”

* * *

Oh.

* * *

“ _Dude, don’t you think we’ve been hanging out a bit_ **_too_ ** _much lately? People might start getting the wrong idea._ ”

“ _Is that really such a bad thing?_ ”

* * *

_Oh._

* * *

“ _Of course. We can’t have people getting the wrong idea about us._ ”

“ _We’ve been fine this whole time. I’m just giving you the space that you wanted, so people don’t get the wrong idea._ ”

* * *

Realization didn’t hit Yosuke so much as it slammed into him full force like a freight train.

People might have called him an idiot, and maybe he was, but even he could put two and two together when it was suddenly so blatantly obvious.

He was standing in Souji’s kitchen, wearing Souji’s apron and cooking him dinner. The realization of the picture that painted coupled with the way Souji was staring at him should have made him uncomfortable at best and outright creeped out at worst (he was a _guy_ , they were both _guys_ , Yosuke wasn’t _like that_ ), yet Yosuke couldn’t dredge up any feelings beyond relief, guilt, and the weirdest sense of pride he’d ever felt; almost like the same kind of weird pride he’d felt when Souji had jokingly commented during that horrible group date that he’d choose to date Yosuke over everyone--

_Crap, that… that wasn’t a joke, was it._

Yosuke forced himself to turn away from Souji, his face flooding with heat.

Still, despite his embarrassment, he found himself fighting back a smile that kept twitching at the corners of his lips.

Souji-- _the_ Souji Seta, the guy that girls were tripping over themselves to try and be with, who hardly even batted an eye at the most embarrassing situations, who’d had three girls (including an _idol_ ) in this very same kitchen at the same time and hadn’t so much as spared any of them a glance… was staring and blushing over _him_ of all people. When he thought about it like that, it was hard _not_ to feel flattered, regardless of them both being guys.

As soon as Yosuke managed to compose himself, he glanced back over at Souji with a more natural grin on his face. “You still in there, partner?”

Yosuke could practically hear Souji’s flatlining brain sputter back to life, and he nearly laughed as Souji jumped slightly and tore his eyes away from him.

“Sorry, I… wasn’t expecting to see you here, is all. It caught me by surprise.”

Yosuke couldn’t help but let a chuckle slip out at that. “I can see that,” he teased lightly, before making a shooing gesture towards the living room. “Now go sit down, before you start trying to take over the kitchen. The food’s almost done, anyway.”

Souji hesitated for a moment, eyeing him in a sort of wary curiosity that Yosuke wasn’t used to seeing on his partner’s face, though most wouldn’t even notice the minute downward turn of his lips or the slight furrow in his brow. Still, Yosuke kept a smile on his face, and eventually Souji nodded slightly, as if satisfied with whatever he found, before--

“Thanks, Yosuke.”

There it was, that small but genuine smile that Yosuke had been hoping to be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of, filled with the warmth that he’d missed from his best friend. He knew he hadn’t earned Souji’s forgiveness just yet, nor did he deserve it without giving him a proper apology, but the fact that Souji still had it in him to honestly smile at him was enough to make Yosuke feel like a huge weight had been lifted off of his chest.

As soon as Souji left the kitchen, Nanako happily rushed over to Yosuke’s side, tugging on his pants and gesturing for him to bend over so she could whisper to him.

“I think it’s working, Yosuke-nii! Big Bro looks really happy!”

Yosuke couldn’t help the small laugh that slipped out at that, his smile widening as he nodded and exaggeratedly whispered back, “I think it’s working too.”

Nanako beamed at him, clapping her hands together joyfully, and Yosuke was suddenly hit with an idea.

“Nanako-chan, are you doing anything tomorrow?”

Nanako looked a bit confused by the sudden question, humming in thought for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t think so, why?”

Yosuke grinned, crouching down to face her as he spoke. “As a super special thank you for helping me out, how about I come pick you up from school tomorrow and we can go spend the day at Junes? Teddie’ll be there too.”

Nanako’s entire face lit up at the offer, and Yosuke couldn’t help how his heart swelled in response--Nanako really was such an easy kid to please, it was no wonder Souji doted on her every chance he got.

“Really? We can go play at Junes together?”

“Yep! We can hang out there all day, and I’ll even walk you home so your dad and Big Bro won’t get worried.”

Nanako threw her arms around Yosuke’s neck in a hug. “Thanks, Yosuke-nii! You’re the best!”

Yosuke laughed softly as he hugged her back, but was unable to respond before another voice interrupted them.

“The best, huh? Does that mean I’ve been replaced?”

Yosuke and Nanako both looked up to find Souji watching them with an amused smile, the clear fondness in his gaze making Yosuke’s face heat up slightly in response--though (thankfully) neither Souji nor Nanako seemed to notice.

“No, Big Bro could never be replaced!”

Nanako rushed over to Souji and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Yosuke-nii is the best Yosuke-nii, and Big Bro is the best Big Bro!”

“So we’re both the best, then.” Yosuke rose back up to his feet, meeting Souji’s gaze with a grin and a wink as he added, “I think I can live with sharing that spot with you, partner.”

Now it was Souji’s turn to blush, though Yosuke only noticed the slight color in Souji’s cheeks because he was watching for it with barely-hidden curiosity.

(He couldn’t help but wonder just how many times he’d actually managed to fluster Souji without even realizing it. Were there any other times that Souji had blushed around him and he just hadn’t noticed, or had played it off as his eyes playing tricks on him?)

“Yeah,” Souji replied with a soft smile. “I wouldn’t mind sharing that spot with you either.”

* * *

After shooing Souji out of the kitchen one more time, Yosuke put the finishing touches on their dinner before bringing the plates of food into the living room with Nanako’s help. The two of them set everything out on the table and took their seats, with Nanako and Souji sitting across from each other while Yosuke sat hesitantly in Dojima’s spot at Nanako’s insistence.

“Dad won’t be home until real late tonight anyway, and you can see the TV better from there!”

Yosuke couldn’t argue with that, especially since it gave him an out in case he needed something to focus his gaze on instead of outright staring at Souji.

Like he was unintentionally doing now, both him and Nanako waiting with baited breath for Souji to taste the food that they’d cooked for him.

Souji glanced between the two of them, taking in their nervous yet hopeful expressions before turning his attention down to the food.

Taking a bite, he hummed thoughtfully as he chewed and swallowed, waiting a moment longer for dramatic effect before finally giving the two of them a smile. “It tastes perfect. You two did a great job.”

Yosuke and Nanako both perked up with matching grins, and Souji was almost tempted to pull out his phone and snap a quick picture as the two of them cheered and did a celebratory high five.

“Man, that was seriously nerve-wracking!” Yosuke exclaimed as he slumped backwards slightly in relief. He chanced a glance over at Souji with a sheepish yet genuine smile on his face as he added, “I mean, I know my cooking’s nowhere _near_ as bad as the girls’, but getting your stamp of approval really means a lot.”

“Yeah, me and Yosuke-nii worked real hard!”

Souji glanced between the two of them, and Yosuke noted that there was the same fond look in Souji’s eyes as when he’d caught Nanako hugging him in the kitchen: it was as if everything in that weird little universe in Souji’s head was perfect in that moment, with both Yosuke and Nanako together and happy.

It was embarrassing, yet flattering in an odd way, enough so that Yosuke found himself returning Souji’s soft smile with a grin of his own.

“I can tell. I’m proud of you both.” Souji replied, shifting his attention back to his food and completely missing the blush that colored Yosuke’s face in response.

Yosuke picked up his own plate and began eating as well, stuffing his mouth to avoid saying something stupid out of embarrassment and potentially ruining the moment.

Nanako, oblivious to Yosuke’s embarrassment, giggled happily in response. “Thanks, Big Bro! Yosuke-nii and I made everything with lots of love for you!”

In unison, Yosuke and Souji choked on their food, their faces bright red.

Nanako looked between them worriedly before jumping up to her feet and rushing into the kitchen, quickly coming back with two glasses of water and setting them on the table for the two choking boys before moving between the two of them to pat their backs until their breathing settled.

“Are you two okay?”

Souji nodded, and Yosuke grinned weakly and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Don’t worry, it just, uh… went down the wrong pipe, that’s all,” Yosuke replied, glancing at his partner for backup and receiving another nod in response. “See? Everything’s fine.”

“Okay….”

Nanako was obviously still worried, and Yosuke scrambled to come up with something to lift the mood a bit.

Souji, ever the calm and composed leader, took over with a smile as he said, “Nanako, isn’t your quiz show coming on?”

“Oh, you’re right!” Successfully distracted, Nanako picked up the remote and changed the channel with a smile as she sat back down in her seat, and the mood in the room lifted.

Mostly.

Yosuke chanced a glance at Souji out of the corner of his eye, feeling a mix of jealous, annoyed, and impressed to find him going back to eating with a completely nonplussed expression, all traces of a blush completely gone even as Yosuke felt heat lingering in his own cheeks.

Damn his partner and his constant composure.

Still, the fact that Souji’s composure had, in the moment, cracked just as badly as Yosuke’s had at least made the whole thing slightly less embarrassing.

(He tried not to think about the possible reasons why Souji had lost his cool so badly in that moment--he needed to calm down, not embarrass himself further.)

Unable to bring himself to look at Souji for more than a second or two, Yosuke instead focused on watching the quiz show, and any lingering embarrassment that had filled the room gradually settled down--along with the tension that subsequently drained from Yosuke’s frame--as he listened to Nanako and Souji answering the questions together.

“Man, you two are really good at this,” Yosuke remarked during a commercial break, glancing between the two of them in surprised awe. “I’m impressed, I could barely even get two of those questions right.”

Souji shrugged modestly, while Nanako grinned and replied, “Big Bro and I watch this show all the time, it’s really fun! Lots of the questions we know from all the different books Big Bro reads with me, though.” Nanako looked up at Yosuke curiously as she asked, “What kind of books do you read, Yosuke-nii?”

Anticipating Yosuke’s answer, Souji glanced at him and added with a touch of amusement, “Manga and magazines don’t count, by the way.”

Yosuke let out an exaggerated sigh. “Guess I’m out of luck, then. Sorry Nanako-chan--according to your Big Bro, Yosuke-nii doesn’t read anything.”

“That’s okay!” Nanako replied with a smile. “Maybe Big Bro can read some of his books to you then, like he does with me!”

Souji tapped a finger to his chin as he nodded in agreement, as if seriously mulling over the idea, and only the slightest twitch of the corners of his lips gave away that he was playing along. “That’s not a bad idea. I could go to Yosuke’s house and read him our textbook for class. He might even learn something in his sleep.”

Yosuke couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. “I can’t even be mad, you’re totally right--that really _would_ put me straight to sleep.”

Souji finally lost the battle against his repressed smile as he replied, “You mean like it does in class every day?”

“I can’t believe this! My own partner, betraying me!” Yosuke leaned back on the floor dramatically with a hand over his heart, closing his eyes and throwing his other arm over his face for good measure. “How could you make me look bad in front of Nanako-chan like this? I don’t think my heart will ever recover from the trauma!”

“You’ll be missed.” Souji mimed paying his respects, clapping his hands together in front of him in prayer.

“Hey! I’m traumatized, not dead!”

Nanako covered her mouth to stifle her giggles. “You two are silly.”

Yosuke grinned as he cracked and eye open and moved his arm to glance up at Souji, finding his partner looking down at him with a small smile as they joined in on her laughter.

 _This_ , this was the exact kind of mood Yosuke had been hoping for--with Nanako here, it was so easy to stay lighthearted and fall back into acting like their normal selves, as if the distance between them in the past week was nonexistent.

Yosuke knew they were going to have to talk about everything eventually, but for now, he was content to just enjoy the moment.

* * *

After dinner was finished, snacks were eaten, and the quiz show ended, there were no further distractions preventing Yosuke from doing what he’d originally came to do, much to his quickly-rising dread.

“I, uh… should help clean up--”

Yosuke rose to his feet and went to grab one of the dishes off of the table, only for Nanako to stop him with a smile.

“It’s okay, I’ve got it! Why don’t you go upstairs with Big Bro?”

Yosuke hesitated before warily glancing over at Souji, relaxing the slightest bit when Souji gave him a smile and wordlessly gestured towards the stairs.

“Alright,” Yosuke conceded with a sigh, before giving Nanako a smile and adding, “Thanks, Nanako-chan.”

Nanako returned his smile with a bright one of his own, patting Yosuke’s leg encouragingly as she whispered, “Good luck!”

Yosuke nodded, genuinely appreciative of the young girl’s support, and braced himself as he turned to follow Souji up the stairs and into his partner’s bedroom.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the room was the shelves off to the side, which had been mostly empty the last time he came over to hang out but were now filled with all kinds of cool-looking models.

“Woah!” Yosuke leaned over to inspect the models. “Where’d you buy these?”

Souji took a seat on the couch, gesturing to the box of tiny pieces sitting on his table next to a book and a stack of unfinished envelopes. “Got them for free. I just had to put them together myself.”

“No way, you _built_ these?” Yosuke let out a quiet, breathless laugh. “There really isn’t anything you can’t do, huh partner?”

Yosuke straightened up and glanced over at Souji, finding the slightest hint of embarrassment in his expression as he shrugged modestly.

“I wouldn’t say that. It was a lot of trial and error, mostly. Almost broke them a couple of times, too.”

“Still, it’s pretty impressive if you ask me,” Yosuke replied, deciding to take a seat on Souji’s futon since the couch was occupied.

“In any case,” Souji began, redirecting the conversation before Yosuke could keep distracting him with compliments, “Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

Yosuke winced, knowing that Souji knew exactly what he was here about but wanted Yosuke to be the one to say it--which was completely fair, and honestly Souji deserved that much and more from him at this point.

“Yeah. I wanted to apologize-- _properly_ , this time.”

Souji’s expression was completely neutral as he watched Yosuke, which was admittedly a bit unnerving and put a lot more pressure on him, but Yosuke refused to back down as he met Souji’s gaze head-on.

“What are you apologizing for?”

The same question, asked in the same tone--this time, though, Yosuke had a better idea of what the right answer was. All he had to do now was figure out how to say it without tripping over himself and messing things up like he did before.

“For… for letting what people might think of us get in the way of, well, _us_.” Yosuke bit his lip in thought as he dropped his gaze to his lap, trying to pick and choose his words carefully as he spoke. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you and gotten defensive, and I shouldn’t have said that we hang out too much in the first place. I don’t want to lose my best friend just because I’m afraid of a little small-town gossip.”

Yosuke nervously glanced back up at Souji when he received no response, relaxing slightly when he saw the smile on his partner’s face.

“So, um… are we cool for real now?” Yosuke asked tentatively. “Can we go back to hanging out like normal?”

Souji nodded, and Yosuke’s body sagged in relief as he let out a sigh.

“You’re really not mad anymore, right?”

Souji’s expression softened slightly. “I was never mad at you in the first place. Hurt, but not mad.”

Yosuke winced at that, moving a hand to run through his hair. “I’m sorry partner, I really am.”

“I know, Yosuke. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay.” Yosuke dropped his gaze away from Souji once more, staring at the ground as he forced himself to continue to speak. “And there’s… there’s one more thing I’ve got to apologize for, too.”

Souji blinked, honestly caught off-guard. “One more thing? What is it?”

“I… I shouldn’t have said it would be a bad thing. If people got the wrong idea about us, I mean.”

“... Yosuke, you don’t have to--”

“Please, just… let me finish.” Yosuke wrung his hands nervously, heat beginning to pool in his face from embarrassment. “It finally hit me why Chie and Yukiko got mad at me and called me an insensitive idiot when I tried to talk to them about this whole mess. I just… I wish I could say I don’t know how I missed the signs, but between my head being so far up my ass and me constantly running away from any signs of guys being… _like that_ … I just-- it never really clicked, I guess. But now that I get it, I realize that really was insensitive of me, saying things like how weird it would be if people thought we were together and how it would ruin everything for us.”

Yosuke saw Souji wince slightly out of the corner of his eye, and he hastily continued. “And I mean, I don’t-- I never really… thought about that kind of stuff before, with us, but like… I tried thinking about it today, and… it didn’t actually bother me as much as I thought it would?” Swallowing thickly and pushing past his embarrassment, he added, “I mean, it was-- I thought I would feel weirded out, with how you were watching me in the kitchen, but it was actually kinda… nice, I guess? I wasn’t expecting it, but I wasn’t freaked out by it either--and I’m seriously not _like that_ , I don’t… I don’t like guys or anything, but you… you’re different, partner. I think you always have been, since I first met you.”

He forced himself to glance back over at Souji, and was both relieved and oddly pleased to see the same stunned expression on his partner’s face as before, complete with even more color in his face than Yosuke had ever had the honor of seeing.

Before he could lose his nerve, Yosuke pushed himself up to his feet and made his way over to the couch, sitting down right next to Souji and putting his hands on Souji’s shoulders.

Souji jumped under his touch as if burned, startled out of his shocked stupor by the sudden proximity, but was unable to pull away with Yosuke holding him in place.

“Y….” Souji swallowed thickly, his gaze briefly dropping to Yosuke’s lips before quickly shooting back up to properly look at him, his voice surprisingly even despite his clearly flustered state. “Yosuke, what exactly are you doing?”

Yosuke’s blush darkened heavily as he caught where his partner had been looking, but at the very least, that answered the question of whether or not Souji would be okay with this.

“I’m not going to be able to figure this out by just talking myself in circles. I just… I have to….” Yosuke took a breath, letting it out slowly before squaring up and shifting a bit closer to Souji, who stiffened slightly in response.

“Yosuke, you don’t have to force yourself to--”

“I’m not forcing myself to do anything.” That much, Yosuke could say with clear certainty--he was nervous, yes, but beyond that was a hint of genuine curiosity now that the idea was in his head, and he knew it would drive him crazy if he didn’t at least _try_ to figure out these feelings now that he had the perfect opportunity for it.

He could just take the out that Souji was willing to give him and be happy that he’d managed to repair their friendship before things got worse, but… well, he’d already turned his eyes away from the truth about himself and his feelings once before, and the last thing he wanted was to pretend these feelings didn’t exist and make the same mistake again.

Tightening his grip on Souji’s shoulders, he pulled him a bit closer, clearing the distance between the two of them as he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips to Souji’s.

It felt… normal?

Yosuke had been bracing himself for it to feel weird, or gross, or uncomfortable, so much so that he nearly collapsed against Souji in relief when he realized that it didn’t feel bad at all, even if they were both guys. His body wasn’t rejecting the feeling, his mind wasn’t rejecting the feeling, and--

_Woah._

Souji apparently wasn’t rejecting the feeling either, judging by how he was kissing him back.

By the time they both pulled back from the kiss, Yosuke was feeling dazed and flushed--yet even as his head spun, his mind felt clearer than it had in days, maybe even weeks or months with how he’d subconsciously been pushing this possibility off.

“I, uh… think I figured it out,” Yosuke murmured, prompting a soft, breathless laugh from Souji that made Yosuke’s heart swell.

He could never remember hearing his partner let out a laugh that sounded as sweet as that one, but he would gladly embarrass himself a thousand times over if it meant getting to hear it again.

“And what exactly did you figure out?” Souji questioned, clearly amused.

In lieu of a response, Yosuke pulled Souji closer and pressed their lips together again, and again Souji matched and surpassed his fervency, until Yosuke felt close to passing out from all of the blood pooling in his face.

“I… I really like kissing you.”

Yosuke wasn’t even sure if his dazed comment was a response to Souji’s question or just a simple admission, but regardless, Souji’s expression lit up in a soft, affectionate smile in response.

“I really like kissing you too,” Souji responded, taking Yosuke’s hand and bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss to his knuckles.

Yosuke was thoroughly embarrassed by the startled squeak that slipped out as Souji kissed his hand, his face somehow managing to combust even more than it already was.

“I-I, uh, that’s, I mean, yeah-- I mean, well, what….” Yosuke swallowed thickly, forcing himself to try and calm down enough to actually speak coherently. “What are we, now? Are we… going out, or…?”

Souji’s smile widened, and it was the most beautiful sight Yosuke had ever seen.

He was such an idiot, blinding himself to this and pushing the possibility away when they could have spent so many more months together--but now that he’d come to accept it, he was going to make sure to take advantage of every last day they had left in the year together.

“I thought it was obvious what we are.” Souji gave Yosuke’s hand a light squeeze. “We’re partners, right?”

Now it was Yosuke’s turn to laugh, soft and filled with affection.

“Yeah, guess you’re right, huh.”

They didn’t need any special labels, and if all the town gossips wanted to stick labels on them, then they could go ahead--it wasn’t like they weren’t already talking about Yosuke behind his back anyway, so really, what was one more negative stigma to add to the list?

Yosuke was done risking the best relationship he’d ever had--friendship or otherwise--over worrying what other people thought of him. Hell, he should have been done with that from the moment he’d accepted his Shadow, but apparently his insecurities couldn’t be fixed with just a few words and some fancy new magical powers, as much as he wished they could.

Still, he was more determined now than ever to overcome everything holding him back, if only to make sure Souji never lost the warmth in his smile ever again.

* * *

When Souji and Yosuke finally returned downstairs, Nanako was pleased to see that they both looked much happier than they had before.

“Did you and Yosuke-nii make up, Big Bro?” she asked as she approached the two, wanting to be absolutely sure that no one was fighting anymore.

Souji smiled, glancing over at Yosuke in a mixture of fondness and amusement. “I managed to find it in my heart to forgive him, yeah.”

Nanako turned her attention over to Yosuke, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug. “That’s great, Yosuke-nii! Now you and Big Bro can be happy together again!”

“Yep, and it’s all thanks to you, Nanako-chan.” Yosuke grinned, bending down so he could properly hug her back. “Don’t think I forgot about my promise, either--tomorrow, you, me and Teddie are gonna have lots of fun hanging out at Junes together, okay? I’ll even buy you anything you want as a thank you!”

“Really? Anything I want?” Nanako’s eyes lit up as she pulled back to look at Yosuke. “Can we get ingredients for hot pot for dinner tomorrow? Oh, oh! Or that really nice-smelling detergent that Dad doesn’t get often ‘cuz he says it’s too expensive? Can we get that?”

“Um, Nanako-chan, this is the part where you’re supposed to ask for a toy, or….” Nanako tilted her head in confusion, and Yosuke trailed off with a sigh before cracking a wry smile. “Ah, forget it. Sure, we’ll pick up whatever you want for the house if that’ll make you happy.”

“Yay! We get to go shopping!”

Yosuke chuckled and gave Nanako a pat on the head. “You’re gonna make a great wife for some lucky guy someday, you know that?”

“Really?” Nanako looked up at him with a smile, clapping her hands together as she said, “When I get older, I wanna marry Big Bro!”

“Wh-- Nanako-chan, uh, that’s--”

“Sorry, Nanako.” Souji set his hands down on Yosuke’s shoulders from behind, a serious expression on his face. “Yosuke is going to be my bride.”

“I’m _what_ now?!” Yosuke squeaked, his face turning bright red as he straightened up and whirled around to look at Souji. “I-isn’t it a little soon to be thinking about-- wait, hold on, that’s not even the problem here! I’m not going to be anyone’s bride!!”

“Oh, Big Bro is gonna marry Yosuke-nii?” With all the innocent optimism a child could possess, Nanako quickly sprung back from having her dreams of marrying her Big Bro crushed as if nothing had happened, and she beamed up at the two of them. “I wanna be the flower girl, then!”

“ _Like I said--_ ”

Souji nodded. “Of course. You’ll make an adorable flower girl.”

“ _Stop ignoring me!!_ ”

“Yosuke-nii, you don’t want me to be the flower girl…?”

Yosuke flinched, suddenly being faced by a pair of teary puppy eyes that could move mountains in front of him, and the oppressive aura of an overprotective older brother from behind.

“N-no, of course I do, Nanako-chan!” Yosuke laughed nervously. “You’d be the best flower girl ever! We’d never want anyone but you for the job!”

In an instant, the mood lifted as Nanako smiled brightly and Souji nodded in satisfaction, and Yosuke let out a quiet, relieved sigh in response before jerking in realization.

“Hey, wait, that wasn’t even the problem in the first place!!”

Yosuke whirled back around to face Souji, his expression embarrassed as he weakly glared at his partner and poked him in the chest.

“I’m not gonna be the one in a dress when we get married!”

“So we _are_ getting married, then?”

Souji’s satisfied smile made Yosuke’s blush extend to the tips of his ears as his own words belatedly caught up to him, and he couldn’t help but laugh as Yosuke let out a long groan and dropped his head against Souji’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry.” Souji gave Yosuke’s head a pat. “I’ll wear the dress if you really want me to.”

“Neither of us have to wear a dress-- and that’s not even the point I was trying to make to begin with!” Yosuke let out another groan as Souji chuckled. “How the hell did we even get so far off track? You always do this, dammit….”

“I was just teasing you, calm down.” Souji’s fingers ran through Yosuke’s hair, the amusement fading from his voice and expression as he continued to speak. “You know I would never rush you into something like that, especially not while you’re getting used to the idea of all of this.”

Despite his embarrassment, Yosuke gave a small nod against Souji’s shoulders, fighting to keep his eyes from drifting closed as Souji gently toyed with his hair. He only jerked back to awareness when Souji pulled back slightly, and the heat that had finally been fading from his cheeks returned with a vengeance as Souji suddenly cupped the side of his face in his hand.

“Uh, p… partner?”

“I have to admit, though…,” Souji murmured, his expression soft and a touch amused as he leaned in to press a kiss to Yosuke’s lips before pulling back to continue, “it’s not the first time I’ve entertained the thought of what it would be like to live the rest of my life with you by my side.”

Yosuke swallowed thickly, his heart pounding in his chest as Souji’s words sunk in.

Part of him had already realized, but Souji… he was really serious about this. Serious about _them_. His tone might have sounded amused, but Yosuke could tell just by looking at his partner that he meant every word he’d said: he could have any girl (or hell, probably any guy too) he wanted, yet Souji wanted to spend the rest of his life with plain old Yosuke.

Unable to find the words to express how much even just the sentiment meant to him, Yosuke reached out without thinking, grabbing Souji by his shirt and pulling him into another kiss.

It was only when they pulled back to catch their breath, their faces flushed (though Yosuke was pleased to note that Souji looked even more flustered than he was, blinking dazedly in the wake of the kiss), that they remembered that they weren’t alone.

Yosuke yelped as he noticed Nanako still standing behind them, a light blush on her face as she covered her eyes with her hands--which Yosuke might have commended her for, if he didn’t see her clearly peeking up at them through her fingers.

“A-ah, that was, um….”

“A good night kiss.” Souji’s quick composure and even quicker thinking came to the rescue yet again, and Yosuke hastily nodded in agreement.

“Y-yeah, yeah! It was a good night k-- hold on, what time is it, anyway?” The mention of saying good night made Yosuke realize that he’d been at Souji’s house longer than he thought he’d be, and he quickly pulled out his phone to check the time before grimacing. “Oh crap, my parents are gonna kill me! I’ve gotta go!”

“You’re leaving already, Yosuke-nii?” Nanako moved her hands off of her face to properly look up at Yosuke, and her expression alone nearly made Yosuke cave and stay the night.

“Sorry Nanako-chan,” Yosuke apologized, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily before giving her a bright smile in an attempt to cheer her up. “We’ll hang out lots tomorrow though, I promise!”

“Okay! Oh, but, um….” Nanako hesitated, dropping her gaze briefly as she toyed with the front of her dress before looking back up at Yosuke. “Since you gave Big Bro a kiss good night, can I get a kiss good night too?”

Yosuke swore he felt his heart physically melting, and he hardly even had to glance over at Souji to tell that he felt just the same.

As if anyone in their right mind could possibly say no to such an innocent request from such an innocent little angel.

Yosuke swept Nanako up in his arms and spun around, grinning as she giggled and held on to him. “Alright! One good night kiss, coming right up!”

He kissed the top of her head, making an exaggerated noise as he did so, and his grin widened as Nanako laughed in response.

“You’re silly, Yosuke-nii.” Nanako smiled brightly as she gave him a hug, leaning in slightly to whisper, “Thanks for making Big Bro happy again.”

Yosuke’s expression softened. “Nanako-chan….” He hugged her back, murmuring in reply, “Thank _you_ for helping me make him happy again.” With a more amused expression, he added, “Y’know, we make a pretty good team, you and me.”

“Yeah!” Nanako pulled back from their hug to give Yosuke a bright smile. “We’re the ‘Make Big Bro Smile’ team!”

Yosuke laughed. “I like the sound of that!”

Speaking of said Big Bro, Yosuke realized he’d been oddly quiet for the past few minutes, and he glanced over at his partner only to blush in embarrassment when he saw him with his phone out and the camera clearly pointed at them.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Ah.” Souji looked up from his phone as Yosuke called him out before returning his gaze to the screen. “Don’t mind me. You two can continue.”

“You’d better not be recording--”

“Can’t. There’s not enough room left.” There was the slightest hint of a pout on Souji’s otherwise impassive face as he spoke. “I took too many pictures.”

“You…!!” Yosuke blushed bright red in embarrassment, groaning even as Nanako giggled. “Just… just don’t go sending those to anyone, please.”

Souji nodded, turning his phone to show his new wallpaper as he said, “This was the best one.”

“You already set it as your wallpaper?!”

“I think it looks great, Big Bro!” Nanako encouraged with a smile, leaning towards the screen from her position in Yosuke’s arms to get a better look at the picture of Yosuke kissing the top of her head. “It’s really cute!”

Souji nodded again, matching Nanako’s smile with one of his own. “The cutest.”

“There’s no winning against you two, I swear….” Yosuke let out a sigh before cracking a smile--he didn’t have it in him to protest even despite his embarrassment, not when Souji and Nanako both looked so happy over something as simple as a picture.

Yosuke reluctantly set Nanako down before straightening back up. “As much as I hate to cut the fun short, I really do have to get going before it gets too late.” He grinned teasingly as he reached out with both hands to give Nanako and Souji a pat on the head. “Try not to miss me too much, alright?”

“I always miss you when you’re gone.”

Souji’s statement was so straightforward and honest that it took a second for Yosuke to properly process it, but once he did his face turned bright red, and he hastily turned away from Souji in a poor attempt to try and recompose himself.

“I swear, I don’t know how the hell you can say stuff like that with a straight face.” Yosuke glanced back at Souji briefly, muttering, “But it’s… the same. For me too.”

Souji’s smile forced Yosuke to avert his gaze once more, his embarrassment reaching a boiling point as he grabbed for his shoes by the door.

“A-anyway, I’ve gotta go!” he called out, practically hopping out the door in his haste to get his shoes on and get some fresh air before all the blood in his body decided to permanently stay in his face. “Night, partner! Night, Nanako-chan!”

“Bye-bye, Yosuke-nii!” Nanako called out, unperturbed by his quick exit as she waved goodbye to him from the doorway.

It was only when Yosuke made it all the way back home, out of breath from running half the way in an attempt to cool his head, that he checked his phone to find a text from Souji.

> _Let me know when you get home._

Yosuke couldn’t help but smile--it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for Souji to want to know if he got home safe, yet after everything that happened between them tonight combined with how barren his text history had been this past week, even just that one simple message was enough to make his heart swell in relief.

Everything was really back to normal. No, it was _better_ than normal, even if it was going to take Yosuke a while to really get used to the idea of them being closer than just friends.

> _srry partner, home now_

Yosuke barely had a chance to plop himself down on his bed before his phone chimed again, the sound like music to his ears as he quickly unlocked his phone once more to check for Souji’s response.

> _Glad to hear it. Have a good night._

Yosuke was halfway to typing out a quick reply when another text came through, causing him to pause what he was doing as his face flooded with heat.

> _ <3 _

Did… did Souji just send him a _heart emoji?_

“Hm? Who’re you talking to, Yosuke? Ooh, is it a girl? Are you scoring with someone?”

Yosuke yelped, nearly throwing his phone as Teddie suddenly appeared next to him, trying to lean over his shoulder to take a look at what had flustered Yosuke so much.

“Get lost, you nosy bear!” Yosuke shoved Teddie’s face away with one hand, using his free hand to keep his phone far away from Teddie’s flailing arms. “It’s none of your business!”

“But _Yoooosukeeee!!_ ” Teddie whined, the sound muffled behind Yosuke’s hand.

“It’s late, just go to bed already!” With one more shove, Yosuke finally got Teddie to back down--and while part of him did feel bad to see Teddie sulking, he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for Teddie (or any of their friends, really) to know that he and Souji had gone from partners to… well, _partner_ -partners.

At least, not right this second, anyway. He needed a little time to at least mentally brace himself, and he wanted to tell them all on his and Souji’s terms, not because Teddie was being nosy and saw Souji sending him a heart emoji of all things.

Once Yosuke was sure that Teddie wasn’t going to try and ambush him again, he unlocked his phone once more, staring at Souji’s last text in a weird mixture of embarrassment and pleasure before finishing up his half-typed text and sending it.

> _u 2 partner, c u tomorrow_

His fingers hovered over his phone screen for a moment longer, hesitating for a moment before typing one last text and sending it before he could chicken out.

> _ <3 _

Yosuke quickly hid his phone under his pillow as if hiding the evidence, and after a moment’s consideration, he hid his head under the pillow too, the sheet on his mattress feeling cool against his flushed face.

He hardly even realized he was grinning until his cheeks began to hurt, and even then he couldn’t stop, a quiet laugh slipping out against his will.

At long last, the gloom that had been weighing him down was gone, leaving him with a feeling of contentment that made it so much easier for him to relax in his bed. No more tossing and turning in guilt, no more dreading the thought of waking up in the morning and watching his partner refuse to even look at him--now Yosuke could go back to smiling and laughing with his best friend, and he could even look forward to going to Junes tomorrow now that he'd made plans to look after Nanako for the afternoon.

Of course, there was still plenty to worry about--catching the true murderer, questions about the Midnight Channel and the TV world that left the entire Investigation Team stumped--but for now, everything in Yosuke's world finally felt  _right_ again.

For the first time in a week, or maybe even longer, he drifted off into a pleasant, peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written anything P4 in my life ever, so if there was any ooc-ness I apologize, also I apologize if the beginning and ending felt a bit rushed sjkldf I'm always so bad at starting and finishing fics lmao
> 
> Thanks for reading! ^^


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